Drink cartridge and method of manufacturing the same

ABSTRACT

A cartridge for preparation of a drink comprises a chamber having a top end for allowing flow of water under pressure into the chamber, a side wall and a bottom end for allowing flow of drink out of the chamber, a supply of soluble solids in the chamber, a solubility promoter adapted to move downward and to conform to the side wall of the chamber during its downward movement within the chamber for facilitating the dissolution of the soluble solids, a flow promoter for facilitating the flow of the drink out of bottom end of the chamber, and a dryer adapted to produce a supply of gas upon contacting the water for drying the cartridge for mess-free disposal.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation-in-part application of application Ser. No.09/748,495 filed Dec. 22, 2000, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,740,345and of application Ser. No. 10/190,399 filed Jul. 6, 2002, now issued asU.S. Pat. No. 6,777,007, and a continuation-in-part of application Ser.No. 10/338,151.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Drinks can be made by adding soluble solids such as cocoa, instantcoffee, milk or creamer into hot water and by stirring the water. Suchsoluble solids can also be enclosed in filter pouches and drinks canmade by delivering water through the pouches as taught by Seward et alin U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,674 and Kraft in EP0756844A1. Seward et al.taught a sachet containing a web material for supporting the solublesolids and a nozzle for injecting water into the sachet. Kraft taught aunitary cappuccino kit comprising an outer wall and an intermediatelayer attached to the outer wall to define a coffee pouch to containcoffee grounds and creamer pouch to contain creamer.

A drawback with Seward et al's sachet and Kraft's cappuccino kit is thatwater tends to channel through without contacting some of the solublesolids in the sachet or pouch, causing some soluble solids to remain inthe sachet or pouch after brewing and wasteful of the soluble solids.The amount of soluble solids remaining in the pouch or sachet afterbrewing became unacceptably large when certain types of soluble solidsthat are less soluble or tend to gel in water were used. A seconddrawback with Seward et al's sachet and Kraft's cappuccino kit is theircomplex structure and associated high manufacturing cost, which preventsthem from being affordable by general public. A third drawback withSeward et al's sachet and Kraft's cappuccino kit is that the spaceoccupied by the soluble solids prior to brewing tends to be filled withbeverage after brewing, which beverage drips on countertop or kitchenfloor to cause a mess when disposing the used sachet and kit. Anadditional drawback with Kraft's cappuccino kit is that the collapse ofthe creamer pouch after water introduction would cause deformation ofthe coffee pouch connected to the creamer pouch, which deformation cancause water leakage around the coffee pouch and therefore weakextraction of the coffee grounds. The present invention intends toprovide a cartridge and method to resolve the above problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a cartridgeand method for making drinks. The cartridge comprises a chamber having atop end for allowing flow of water under pressure into the chamber, aside wall and a bottom end for allowing flow of drink out of thechamber, a supply of soluble solids in the chamber, a solubilitypromoter in the chamber for facilitating the dissolution of the solublesolids, a flow promoter for facilitating the flow of the drink out ofbottom end of the chamber, and a dryer for drying the cartridge formess-free disposal. The solubility promoter comprises an upper surfacein communication with the top end of the chamber, a lower surface incontact with the soluble solids, a peripheral wall conforming to theside wall of the chamber to prevent water from passing through theinterface between the peripheral wall and the side wall, and numeroussmall openings for distributing the water from the top end of thechamber onto the soluble solids. The solubility promoter is adapted tomove downward toward the bottom end of the chamber and to allow itsperipheral wall to conform to the side wall of the chamber during itsdownward movement within the chamber as the soluble solids is beingcarried out of the chamber by the water as a drink. The dryer includes apredetermined amount of gas-generating solids in the chamber. Thegas-generating materials is adapted to be stable prior to contacting thewater from the drink apparatus and to chemically produce a volume of gasupon contacting the water. The generated gas pushes the residual waterout of the chamber at the end of the drink making process, therebydrying the cartridge for mess-free disposal. The flow promoter comprisesa bottom filter, a plurality of elongated cuts on the bottom filter, anda second filter above the bottom filter for restricting insoluble solidsfrom passing through the plurality of cuts during making drink. Theplurality of cuts are normally closed to prevent the soluble solids fromleaking out of the chamber during transportation and storage of thecartridge, but become large openings during making the drink to preventclogging of the bottom filter by gels or the like.

Another aspect of the invention includes a brew station for using thecartridges to prepare a drink. The brew station comprises a brewcontainer having a chamber for receiving the cartridge and an outlet forthe drink, a brew head having a seal member for sealing to the brewcontainer and a water inlet connected to the drink apparatus, and ahydraulic press receivable in the chamber for facilitating theinteraction between flavor-containing materials and water. The hydraulicpress comprises a press plate having a bottom surface for compressingthe flavor-containing materials and openings on the bottom surface fordistributing water to the cartridge, and an expandable chamber having anupper end connected to the water inlet and a bottom end connected to thepress plate. The expandable chamber is operative between an expandedposition, in which the water is delivered into it via the water inletand the water pressure causes it to expand, causing the press plate tomove downward to compress the cartridge, and a retracted position, inwhich drink apparatus stops delivering water and allows the expandablechamber to shrink, causing the press plate to move away up and from thecartridge.

Another aspect of the invention includes a method of manufacturing thecartridge. The method comprises aligning a mold having a sufficientlydeep molding chamber with an expandable piston, placing a bottom filterpaper above the mold, pushing the paper into the deep molding chamberwith the expandable piston, inflating the expandable piston in themolding chamber to cause the filter paper to adopt the shape of themolding chamber to form a sufficiently deep containing chamber,deflating the expandable piston for facilitating its removal out of themolding chamber, moving the expandable piston out of the moldingchamber, filling a predetermined amount of flavor-containing materialsinto the sufficiently deep containing chamber, and sealing thecontaining chamber with a top filter paper. The manufacturing methodfurther comprises a step of stabilizing the wrinkles or folds formedduring the expanding step on the side wall of the bottom filter paper byheating the bottom filter. Adhesive coating or fibers may beincorporated on or in the bottom filter to further stabilize the foldsor wrinkles.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a drink cartridgecontaining water-soluble solids and a mechanism for promoting thedissolution of the water-soluble solids in the cartridge.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a drinkcartridge having a dryer for making the cartridge drip-free afterbrewing the drink.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a brew headfor facilitating the extraction and/or dissolution of theflavor-containing materials in a drink cartridge.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method formanufacturing the drink cartridge.

These and other objectives and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following description of the preferredembodiments, taken together with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying drawing illustrates diagramatically non-limitativeembodiment of the invention, as follows:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a cartridge containing soluble solids anda solubility promoter for the solids according to a first preferredembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a cartridge containing soluble solids anda solubility promoter for the solids according to a second preferredembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a cartridge containing soluble solids anda solubility promoter for the solids according to a third preferredembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a cartridge containing soluble solids anda solubility promoter for the solids according to a forth preferredembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a cartridge containing soluble solids anda solubility promoter for the solids according to a fifth preferredembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a cartridge containing soluble solids anda solubility promoter for the solids according to a sixth preferredembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 a is a bottom view of the cartridge of FIG. 6.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a cartridge containing soluble solids anda solubility promoter for the solids according to a seventh preferredembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a cartridge containing soluble solids anda solubility promoter for the solids according to an eighth preferredembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a partially sectional and partially schematic view of a brewstation for using the cartridges of FIGS. 4 and 6-8 according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 10 is a section view of an alternative expandable chamber for thebrew station of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 shows a manufacturing process for making a cartridge accordingto the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a beverage cartridge containing asolubility promoter according to a ninth preferred embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view of a beverage cartridge containing asolubility promoter according to a tenth preferred embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a beverage cartridge containing asolubility promoter according to an eleventh preferred embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a beverage cartridge containing asolubility promoter according to a twelfth preferred embodiment of theinvention;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a drink cartridge 10 that is identical to that in the FIG.3 of the parent application Ser. No. 09/748,495. The cartridge 10comprises a cartridge inlet 29, a spherical chamber 11, a cartridgeoutlet 16, and a filter 15 and barrier film 19 attached to the bottom ofthe chamber 11 to cover the cartridge outlet. The cartridge inlet has acylindrical body 22, a cylindrical opening 27 and a flange 24 forconnection to a drink apparatus. The cartridge outlet has a collectionchamber 17 for collecting the drink and an opening 18 for dischargingthe drink directly into a receptacle such as a carafe or cup. Thecartridge inlet 29, chamber 11 and cartridge outlet 16 are made as asingle, integral body without any seam to reduce the chance of leakagewhen the cartridge 10 is exposed to high pressure as well as to lowerthe cost. The chamber 11 is made rigid to function as a handle to allowthe user to hold to mount the cartridge 10 to the drink apparatus. Avalve 43 is fitted to the opening 27 to allow the water to enter thechamber while preventing reverse flow. The valve includes a body 52having an opening, a elastomer disc 14 for closing the opening of thebody 52 and a keeper 44 having openings 31 and a stem 53 with a enlargedend to keep the elastomer member 14 attached to the stem.

A supply of a first flavor-containing materials 12 a is placed abovefilter 15 in chamber 11, and a supply of a second flavor-containingmaterials 12 b enclosed by filter 15 a is placed above the firstflavor-containing materials 12 a in chamber 11. For a cartridge to makeespresso drinks such as latte, cappuccino or mocha, the first materials12 a is soluble materials such as milk powder or granules, creamer,chocolate, cocoa, sugar, proteins, fat, vitamins, or other appropriatesoluble solids and the second materials 12 b is roasted coffee grounds.The coffee grounds 12 b is insoluble and has numerous small openings 87formed between coffee particles or grounds. By allowing the grounds 12 bto move downward within the chamber 11 and to be sufficiently compliantto conform to inner surface of the chamber, the grounds 12 b is able topromote the dissolution of the water-soluble materials 12 a below it inthe same chamber 11. For those types of water-soluble solids 12 a suchas sugars that are very easy to dissolve in water, there is no need topromote their dissolution by the water. However, for certain types ofwater-soluble solids that are less soluble or tend to gel in water, itis critical to promote or facilitate their dissolution to achievesufficient dissolution by the water. Otherwise too much of the solublesolids will remain in the chamber 11 of cartridge 10 after brewing,which not only causes great waste of the soluble solids but also causesthe drink brewed to be weak and not tasting good. Examples of suchsoluble solids that are less soluble or tend to gel in water includebeverage powders or granules that comprise milk, protein, diary product,cocoa, fat, and/or edible high molecular weight solids such as starch.

Because of its unique solubility promotion capability, the coffeegrounds 12 b in this particular configuration is named as a solubilitypromoter 80 to distinguish it from conventional coffee grounds. Thesolubility promoter 80 has an upper surface 86, a lower surface 84, aperipheral wall 85 and the numerous small openings 87. The peripheralwall 85 of the solubility promoter 80 conforms to the side wall of thechamber 11 to prevent the water above upper surface 86 from passingthrough the interface between the peripheral wall 85 and the side wallof the chamber. As a result of locating the solubility promoter in thesame chamber 11 as the soluble solids 12 a and having it not attached tothe chamber, during brewing the solubility promoter moves freely towardthe bottom of chamber 11 as the solids 12 a is being carried by waterout of the filter 15. As a result of the peripheral wall 85 of thesolubility promoter conforming to the inner surface of chamber 11 duringits downward movement, the water preferably passes through the numerousopenings 87 of the solubility promoter and becomes uniformly distributedonto solids 12 a rather than channels through the interface between theperipheral wall 85 and the inner surface of chamber 11. It is theorizedthat both the downward movement of the solubility promoter 80 within thechamber 11 and the conformation of peripheral wall 85 to the innersurface of the chamber 11 during brewing are critical to properdissolution of the solids 12 a.

FIG. 2 shows a modified cartridge 10 that is identical to that in theFIG. 4 of the parent application Ser. No. 09/748,495. The modifiedcartridge has a cylindrical chamber 11 and a plurality of fins or ribs63 on the outer wall of the chamber for making the cartridge cooler totouch after brewing. Similar to that of FIG. 1, the solubility promoter80 of FIG. 2 also has an upper surface 86, a lower surface 84, aperipheral wall 85 conforming to the inner surface of chamber 11, andnumerous small openings 87. In FIG. 2, however, the solubility promoteris made of a plug of porous materials such as bonded or unbonded fibers,foam, cloth, dried used coffee grounds, finely ground stones, grains orsands 62. The porous materials should be sufficiently heavy to cause thesolubility promoter to move downward to the bottom of the chamber 11,i.e. to sink, rather to float when water is introduced into thecartridge to dissolve away solids 12 a. Plug 62 is preferablysufficiently compressed to allow it to expand in height to cause itslower surface 84 to move downward toward the bottom end of the chamber11 as the soluble solids 12 a is being carried out of the filter 15 bywater. A barrier film 28 is attached to the cartridge inlet to seal thecylindrical opening 27 for preventing the transport of gaseous compoundssuch as oxygen, water, flavor or aroma through the cartridge inlet.

FIG. 3 shows a modified cartridge 10 that is identical to that in theFIG. 7 a of the parent application Ser. No. 09/748,495. This modifiedcartridge is substantially the same as that of FIG. 1 of the presentcontinuation-in-part application except that in FIG. 3 the chamber 11comprises a bottom chamber 11 a and top chamber 11 b sealed to eachother at their respective fringes 49 a and 4 b and the cartridge inlet29 comprises a round protruded chamber 119 and an opening 27 forconnecting to a drink apparatus.

FIG. 4 shows a modified cartridge 10 that is similar to that in the FIG.4 of the parent application Ser. No. 09/748,495 or to that in FIG. 2 ofthe present continuation-in-part application. The solubility promoter 80is substantially identical to that of FIG. 2. The chamber 11 comprises atop filter 101, a bottom filter 102, and a seam 104 formed between thetop and bottom filters for sealing the solubility promoter 80 and thesoluble solids 12 a. The bottom filter 102 has a bottom 103, asubstantially vertical side wall 100 and an open top end. The top filter101 has a bottom 108, an open top end 27 for receiving water and asubstantially vertical side wall 106. The vertical side wall 106 isadapted to fit into the open top end of bottom filter 102 and to seal tothe upper part 105 of the side wall 100 of the bottom filter to form thevertical seam 104. The top and bottom filters are preferably filterpapers for their lower cost and excellent ability in maintaining apredetermined shape, although certain other types of filter may alsowork under proper manufacturing method. It is appreciated that the topand bottom filters can be non-permeable to water prior to brewing and beprovided with filtration openings during the brewing process. Acartridge holder having a bottom support and a side wall configured toform a seal automatically with the side wall 100 of the cartridge isrequired to make a drink with this modified cartridge. Such a holder hasbeen disclosed in the parent application Ser. No. 10/190,399, and willalso be described in FIG. 10 of the present continuation-in-partapplication. FIG. 5 shows a modified cartridge 10 that is substantiallythe same as that of FIG. 4 of the present continuation-in-partapplication except that this modified cartridge 10 further comprises adryer 110 for drying the used cartridge for drip-free and mess-freedisposal of the used cartridge and that the solubility promoter 80comprises a plug of roasted coffee grounds 12 b. The dryer 110 comprisesa predetermined amount of baking soda 117 and a predetermined amount ofedible acidic solids 116 such as citric acid, ascorbic acid and oxalicacid enclosed in a pouch 129 made from water-permeable film or cloth.The baking soda 117 and edible acidic solids 116 were found to besufficiently stable prior to the introduction of water into thecartridge, but they chemically reacted with each other after theintroduction of water into the cartridge to produce a volume of carbondioxide gas. The gas produced in cartridge is able to push residualwater out of the cartridge at the end of the drink making process to drythe cartridge, thereby making the used cartridge drip-free for disposal.The plug of roasted coffee grounds 12 b is preferably sufficientlycompressed to allow the plug to expand in height to cause the lowersurface 84 to move downward toward the bottom end of chamber 11 as thesoluble solids 12 a is being carried out of the filter 15 by water. Itis most preferred to compress the plug of roasted coffee grounds 12 b sohard or highly that the coffee grounds can occupy the whole volume ofchamber 11 after the soluble solids 12 a is dissolved during brewing. Acartridge with such high or hard compression for the plug of roastedcoffee grounds 12 b was found to be drip-free after brewing, and wasfound to further facilitate the dissolution of the soluble solids 12 ain the cartridge. The roasted coffee grounds can be replaced by otherparticle-like materials such as tea leaves, grains and finely groundminerals or stones for non-coffee drinks.

It is appreciated that the baking soda 117 can be replaced by othermaterials such as calcium carbonate or sodium carbonate that containcarbonate or bicarbonate anions. It is appreciated that the baking soda117 and edible acidic solids 116 can also be replaced by other materialsthat can chemically react with each other upon introduction of waterinto the cartridge to produce a gas product such as carbon dioxide,nitrogen or oxygen. It is also appreciated that at least one of the gasgenerating materials 116 and 117 needs to be sufficiently soluble inwater in order to enable them to produce the gas at sufficient speed todry the cartridge 10 prior to the disposal of the used cartridge. It isalso appreciated that the salt 117 and acidic solid materials 116 can bearranged as two layers over or next to each other or can even be mixedwith each other. It is also appreciated that the dryer 110 can be usedto dry a cartridge that contains only roasted coffee grounds or tealeaves to make the used cartridge drip-free for mess-free disposal ofthe used cartridge. It is further appreciated that the dryer 110 can beused to dry any cartridges that contain flavor-containing materials tobe extracted and/or dissolved by water from a drink apparatus to make adrink.

FIG. 6 shows a modified cartridge 10 that is substantially the same asthat of FIG. 5 of the present continuation-in-part application exceptthat this modified cartridge 10 further comprises a flow promoter 82 forfacilitating the flow of the drink out of the chamber 11 of thecartridge, thereby facilitating the dissolution of solids 12 a, and thatthe dryer 110 does not require a pouch 129. The dryer 110 here is formedby adding baking soda 117 and edible acidic solids 116 into a cavityformed in the coffee grounds 12 b as two adjacent layers. The flowpromoter 82 comprises a plurality of cuts 119 (FIGS. 6 and 6 a) formedon bottom filter 102 and a third filter 109 located on the bottom filterto cover the plurality of cuts. The cuts 119 is preferably about 0.5 mmto 10 mm in length, and are normally closed or sufficiently small inopening size to prevent the soluble solids 12 a from leaking out of thechamber 11 during transportation and storage of the cartridge. Due tothe flexibility of the filter paper, these cuts become large openings toallow the solids 12 a to pass through both as a solution and assuspensions, colloids, slumps or/and gels when water is introduced underpressure into the cartridge. As a result, the cuts 109 prevent theclogging of the bottom filter 102 by the suspension, colloidal, gels orthe like, thus facilitating the flow of the drink out of the cartridge.It is appreciated that the cuts 119 can be replaced by elongatedopenings sufficiently small to prevent the soluble solids 12 a fromleaking out during transportation and storage of the cartridge. It wasnoted that without the cuts 119, the bottom filter 102, e.g. a paperfilter, became clogged by the products of the interaction of the solublesolids 12 a with water. The clogging of the bottom filter occurs quicklyand severely when the solids 12 a comprises milk, proteins, cocoa orother high molecular-weight materials that can form gels, slumps or thelike when interacting with water.

The third filter 109 can be placed directly on the bottom filter 102 orpermanently attached or sealed to the upper surface of the bottom filterto cover the cuts 119. The third filter 109 should have filtrationopenings that are sufficiently large to discourage formation oraccumulation of gel or gel-like materials above it, but are sufficientlysmall to restrict coffee grounds 12 b from reaching the cuts 119 on thebottom filter 102. It was discovered, surprisingly, that even if thethird filter 109 has filtration openings large enough to allowconventional coffee creamer powders to sieve through, the drink madefrom the cartridge 10 still have no significant amount of coffee finesor powders in it. To achieve a drink having little coffee powders orfines in it while minimizing gel formation, the filtration openings inthe third filter 109 of the cartridge 10 is preferably approximately 0.1mm to 0.7 mm in diameter or size, although it has been found thatacceptable drink quality can be achieved with a third filter 109 thathas larger or smaller filtration openings. It is appreciated that whenthe third filter 109 has substantially the same diameter as the bottom108 of the top filter 101 to fit slidingly within the side wall 100, itcan also located anywhere between the bottom filter 102 and thesolubility promoter 80. For example, the third filter 10 can be locatedat the interface between the soluble solids 12 a and the solubilitypromoter 80. In this configuration, the third filter 10 moves freelydownward with the solubility promoter 80 toward the bottom filter 102 asthe soluble solids 12 a is being carried as solution, suspensions, geland even slumps out of the cuts 119 by the water. Such a configurationalso allows the third filter 10 to have finer filtration openingswithout causing gel formation since there is no soluble solids 12 aabove the freely movable third filter 109.

FIG. 7 shows a modified cartridge 10 that is substantially the same asthat of FIG. 6 of the present continuation-in-part application exceptthat in this modified cartridge, the top filter 101 is a flat dischaving a peripheral edge 91 and the side wall 100 of the bottom filter102 has a horizontal part 92 sealed to the peripheral edge 91 to form ahorizontal seam 90. FIG. 8 shows a modified cartridge 10 that is alsosubstantially the same as that of FIG. 6 of the presentcontinuation-in-part application except that this modified cartridgedoes not contain a dryer 110 and the side wall 100 of the bottom filter102 is slightly tapered.

With all the cartridges 10 described in FIGS. 1 to 8, it has beendiscovered that by making solubility promoter 80 so highly compressedthat it can occupy nearly the whole space in chamber 11 after solublesolids 12 a is dissolved or carried out of the chamber, the cartridge 10can be drip-free or nearly drip-free to allow mess-free disposal of thecartridge. Several porous materials including foam, elastic fibers, tealeaves, roasted coffee grounds and dried extracted coffee grounds werefound to be able to be compressed to such a high degree to occupy thewhole space in the chamber 11 after brewing even if the soluble solids12 a occupies up to 70% of the volume of the chamber 11 before brewing.To achieve such high compression with particular materials such asroasted coffee grounds, the particular materials should not be too fineor powdery since powdery grounds can not enable such high degree ofcompression needed. It is appreciated that some water-absorbingmaterials such as gelatins and water-absorbing polymers can be madeporous for use as the construction materials for the solubility promoter80. It is also appreciated that a second soluble solids may be placedbetween the solubility promoter 80 and the soluble solids 12 a. It isalso appreciated that each solubility promoter 80, flow promoter 82 anddryer 110 can work for cartridges of various configurations and shapesbesides these shown in the embodiments of the presentcontinuation-in-part application. For example, the cartridges can adopta frustoconical, a pouch, a cake, or a pod shape. It is furtherappreciated that both hot and cold liquid such as water, milk, wine orfruit juice can be delivered through the cartridges 10 to make variousspecial drinks. All such liquids are collectively called water both inthe description and claims, that is, the term water can represent anyliquid used to make a drink with a cartridge 10.

FIG. 9 shows a brew station similar to that of FIG. 15 of the parentapplication Ser. No. 10/190,399 for making drinks with cartridges 10 ofFIGS. 4-8. The brew station comprises a brew head 64 having a waterinlet 137 connected to a drink apparatus, a seal member 140 and ahydraulic press 77, a brew container 124 having a chamber 149 forreceiving cartridge 10 and a rim 141 for forming a watertight seal withseal member 140, and a holder 128 having a chamber 120 for receiving thebrew container and a dispensing spout 127 having an opening 125 fordischarging the drink to a receptacle. The chamber 149 of the brewcontainer has numerous protrusions 121 on its bottom for supporting thecartridge, a chamber 122 for collecting drink from the cartridge and anorifice 123 for converting the drink in the collection chamber into ahigh-speed drink jet. The drink jet injects into a pool of drinkaccumulated in chamber 120 of the holder and causes crema to be formedfor the drink as taught by the applicant in U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,740 andAkkerman-Theunisse et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,119,582.

The hydraulic press 77 comprises a press plate 79 receivable in thechamber 149 of brew container 124, an expandable chamber 138 having anupper end 76 connected to the water inlet 137 and a bottom end 78connected to the press plate, and a flow restriction valve 94 adapted toopen the expandable chamber only when the pressure therein exceeds apredetermined value. Press plate 79 has a bottom surface for pressingagainst top filter 101 of cartridge 10 in brew container 124 tofacilitate the interaction between the flavor-containing materials andwater and a plurality of openings 79 for distributing the water to topfilter 101. The expandable chamber 138 comprises an outer cylinder 133having an upper rim 134 for sealing to the brew head to receive waterfrom water inlet 137, an inner cylinder 130 slidingly received in theouter cylinder, and a seal gasket or ring 145 attached to the bottom endof the inner cylinder for sealing to the side wall of the chamber 149 ofthe brew container. The restriction valve 94 comprises a body 142 abovethe press plate 79 and attached to the inner cylinder 130, a valvechamber 95, a valve opening 96, a seal ball 97 below the valve opening,a spring 98 for pushing the seal ball upwards to seal the valve openingand a keeper 99 for keeping the spring 99 in the valve chamber. Thespring 98 is selected to cause the ball 97 to move down from valveopening 96, thereby opening the valve, when the pressure in theexpandable chamber 138 reaches above a predetermined value P₁. A spring132 has an upper end attached to the rim 134 of the outer cylinder and alower end attached to the body 142 of restriction valve 94 for pullinginner cylinder 130 upwards into the outer cylinder 133 after thepressure in expandable chamber 138 is released.

The brew head 64 also comprises a drainage valve 136 having one endconnected to a drainage outlet 135 of the expandable chamber 138 andanother end to a water container such as the water reservoir for thedrink apparatus. The drainage valve 136 can be any valve that can reacha closed position to close the drainage outlet 135 when the pressure inthe expandable chamber 137 exceeds a predetermined value P₂ and reach anopen position to drain the water in the expandable chamber into thewater container when the pressure in the expandable chamber decreases toa predetermined value P₃. The predetermined value P₃ is preferablylarger than the predetermined value P₁ of the restriction valve 94. Aflexible drainage conduit 131 having an upper end connected to thedrainage outlet 135 and a lower end located close to the press plate 79.The drainage conduit 131 is sufficiently long and compliant to allow itslower end to stay close to the press plate even after the inner cylinder130 is fully pushed out of the outer cylinder 133 to prevent the air inthe expandable chamber from drained out into the water container.

To make a drink with the brew station, one places a cartridge 10 intobrew container 124 and seal the brew container to brew head 64. Water isintroduced under pressure into expandable chamber 138 via inlet 137. Thepressure pushes inner cylinder 130 and press plate 79 of the hydraulicpress 77 downward to compress cartridge 10 in brew container, causesdrainage valve 136 to close, and causes restriction valve 94 to open toallow water to reach cartridge 10. The water passes through solubilitypromoter 80 to soluble solids 12 a to dissolve the soluble solids toproduce a drink. The solubility promoter moves downward within chamber11 of the cartridge and conforms to the side wall 100 of the chamberduring its downward movement within chamber 11 to facilitate thedissolution of soluble solids 12 a therein. The flow promoter 82 allowssoluble solids 12 a to be carried by the water out of the chamber 11 inthe forms of solutes, colloids, suspensions and/or even gels, thuspreventing the clogging of the bottom filter of the cartridge andfurther facilitating the dissolution of soluble solids 12 a. The dryer110 generate a volume of carbon dioxide gas upon contacting the water,which gas pushes the residual water out of the cartridge to make thecartridge drip-free. Meanwhile, the press plate 79 of the hydraulicpress 77 move downward to squeeze cartridge 10, which further dries thecartridge. The drink from the cartridge is collected in collectionchamber 122 and becomes injected as a high-speed drink jet into a poolof drink accumulated in chamber 120 of the holder and causes crema to beformed in the drink. The drink and crema is then discharged at spout 127into a cup for consumption.

It is appreciated that the restriction valve 94 can be replaced by asufficiently restrictive opening that can cause a sufficient pressuredrop between the expandable chamber 138 and brew container 124. It isalso appreciated that brew container 124 can have a filter at its bottomto allow it to receive a supply of loose roasted coffee grounds to makecoffee or espresso. When loose coffee grounds used, the hydraulic press77 of the brew head 64 will compress or tamp the coffee grounds toimprove the extraction and squeeze the used wet coffee grounds to makeit drip-free for mess-free disposal of the loose coffee grounds. Thismeans that this simple hydraulic press 77 can be used as an automatictamping device for tamping the loose roasted coffee grounds and a dryerfor drying the wet used grounds existing coffee makers and espressomachines.

FIG. 10 shows a simpler, lower cost alternative expandable chamber 138 afor the hydraulic press 77. The expandable chamber 138 a includes anelastic side wall 147 that is stretchable by the pressure of the water.The sealing ring 145 is formed around the elastic side wall 147. Inoperation, the elastic side wall 147 is stretched or elongated when thepressure in the expandable chamber 138 a increases and returns to itsoriginal or non-stretched state after the pressure is released.

FIG. 11 shows a manufacturing process that is similar to that wasdisclosed in FIG. 7 of the parent application Ser. No. 10/190,399 formanufacturing cartridges 10. The process comprises aligning anexpandable piston 150 with a mold 171 that has a sufficiently deepmolding chamber 179 and a removable bottom 172 (FIG. 11 a). Theexpandable piston comprises a rigid core 151 having a passage 152 forcompressed air, an elastomer former 158 and a band locker 159 forsealing the former 158 to the core 151. The elastomer former has achamber 154 for receiving compressed air from the passage 152, a bottom155, a side wall 157 and a thinned section 156 between the bottom 155and side wall 157 for facilitating the expansion of the elastomer formerwhen compressed air is introduced into the chamber 154. It isappreciated that in production there will be numerous molding chambers179 in the mold 171 and numerous pistons 150 for higher productionoutputs.

A bottom filter paper 102 is placed between the mold 171 and expandablepiston 150 and is pushed into the sufficiently deep molding chamber 179with the expandable piston (FIG. 11 a). Since the piston in its deflatedstate is quite smaller than the molding chamber, the filter paper isreadily pushed into the molding chamber without any risk of damaging thefilter paper. Compressed air is then introduced into the chamber 154 viapassage 152 to expand the elastomer former, which in turn pushes thefilter paper towards the wall of the sufficiently deep molding chamber179 and causes the filter paper to adopt the shape of the moldingchamber (FIG. 11 b). The compressed air in the chamber 154 is thenreleased to deflate or de-expand the expandable piston 150 in the deepmolding chamber 179 for facilitating the removal of the piston out ofthe molding chamber (FIG. 11 c). The deflated piston is then moved outof the sufficiently deep molding chamber to give access to a formedbottom filter 102 that has a deep vertical side wall 100 and a chamber11 (FIG. 11 c). The filter paper 102 can be a pre-cut disc that can bevacuum-picked up by the piston 150 or by another device or a continuoussheet from a roll that is to be cut at the mold 171. A plurality ofopenings 177 can be optionally formed in the mold for pulling vacuum tosuck the formed bottom filter 102 onto the inner surface of the chamber179 for preventing any deformation of the formed bottom filter duringthe deflation of the piston 150.

During the steps of pushing bottom filter 102 into the sufficiently deepmolding chamber 179 and of expanding piston 150, wrinkles or folds mustbe formed in the side wall 100 of the bottom filter to form the deepside wall 100 and chamber 11. If such wrinkles or folds become open,some water from the brew head 64 may leak or channel through them ratherthrough the solubility promoter and soluble solids 12 a. This wouldcause a weak drink and is not desirable. It was found that such wrinklesor folds can be stabilized by heating the bottom filter paper. Suchwrnkles or folds could be stabilized further by adding polymeric fiberssuch as polyethylene fibers and poly(ethylene vinyl acetate) fibers thatbecome adhesive when heated into the filter paper during or after thefilter paper manufacturing process. Such wrinkles or folds were alsofound to be further stabilized by applying a coating that becomesadhesive when heated to the filter paper. To prevent the bottom filterpaper from sticking to the elastic former 158, the above adhesivepolymeric fibers or coating is preferably located only on or near theoutside surface of the bottom filter paper, i.e. the adhesive fibers orcoating is asymmetrically distributed through the thickness of thepaper. Heat may be applied to the bottom filter paper by hot air or byheating the mold 171 or the piston 150. A non-sticky coating such as aTeflon or silicone coating can be applied to the inner surface of thedeep molding chamber 179 and to the outer surface of the elastic formerto prevent the filter paper from sticking to the mold and piston.

The manufacturing process also comprises adding a predetermined amountof soluble solids 12 a and then a predetermined amount of roasted coffeegrounds 12 b into the chamber 11 of the bottom filter 102 (FIG. 11 d).The coffee grounds 12 b is sufficiently compressed within the chamber 11to form the solubility promoter 80 for the soluble solids 12 a. A cavityis formed on the solubility promoter 80 and a dryer 110 is formed byadding about 0.06 to 0.2 grams of a solid acid mixture of citric acidand ascorbic acid and about 0.06 to 0.2 grams of baking soda into thecavity. Although not shown in FIG. 11, a plurality of cuts 119 can beformed on the bottom 103 of the bottom filter by a cutting die and athird filter having large filtration openings (0.1 to 0.6 mm indiameter) can be attached to the bottom 103 to cover cuts 119 prior toadding soluble solids 12 a and coffee grounds 12 b into chamber 11.

A top filter paper 101 is then placed between the mold 171 and a secondexpandable piston 160 and pushed into the chamber 11 of the bottomfilter 102 until the filter paper 101 reaches the solubility promoter 80(FIGS. 11 e and 11 f). The top filter paper 101 contains aheat-activable adhesive at least on its bottom surface for sealing tothe bottom filter 102. The second expandable piston comprises a rigidcore 161 having a passage 162 for compressed air, and an elastomerformer 168 having a chamber 164 for compressed air from passage 122, abottom 166, a side wall 164, a thin section 167 between bottom 166 andside wall 164 for facilitating the expansion of the elastomer former anda thick-walled upper end 163 for sealing the former 168 to the core 161.Compressed air is introduced into chamber 164 via passage 162 to expandthe elastomer former 168, which in turn pushes the filter paper 101towards the upper part 105 of the side wall 100 of the bottom filterpaper to form a bottom 108 and vertical side wall 106 and in turn causesthe side wall 106 to seal to the upper part 105 of the side wall 100 toform a vertical seam 104 (FIG. 11 f). The compressed air is thenreleased to deflate or de-expand expandable piston 160 for facilitatinglater removal of the piston out of cartridge 10 (FIG. 11 g). The laststep of the manufacturing includes removing the bottom plate 172 of themold to open the bottom of the deep molding chamber 179 and moving thesecond expandable piston 160 downward to push the cartridge 10 out ofthe deep molding chamber 179 into a packaging container for thecartridge. The cartridge can also be pushed out of the deep moldingchamber 179 by another device or blowing air to the top of thecartridge.

FIG. 12 is a simplified version of the cartridge shown in FIG. 7. Thissimplified cartridge 10 does not have a dryer 110. The dryer, asdiscussed above, helps drying the cartridge and does not help dissolvingthe soluble solids 12 a. Like the cartridge 10 of FIG. 7, thissimplified cartridge uses a supply of roasted ground coffee beans 12 bas the solubility promoter 80 to enable the water from the brew head ofa coffee machine to dissolve the soluble solids 12 a. The use of coffeegrounds as a solubility promoter avoids the use of a foreign materialfor promoting the solubility of the soluble solids 12 a, thus not onlysaving cost but also preventing potential introduction of undesirabletaste or flavor from such foreign material. In order for the coffeegrounds 12 b to help the dissolution of the soluble solids 12 a by waterin the cartridges of FIGS. 7 and 12, it is critical for the coffeegrounds 12 b to be located above the soluble solids 12 a. It is equallycritical for the coffee grounds 12 b to be free to move downward tomaintain close contact with the soluble solids as the soluble solids 12a is dissolved and carried away by the water.

FIG. 13 is a further simplified version for the cartridge shown in FIG.7. This further simplified cartridge does not have the flow promoter 102and dryer 110. The flow promoter 102 is intended to further improve thedissolution of the soluble solid 12 a in case that the soluble solids 12a contain materials that very easy to gel or clog the filter 103. Formany soluble solids 12 a, the cartridge 10 does not require the flowpromoter 102.

FIG. 14 is a simplified version of the cartridge shown in FIG. 5. Thissimplified cartridge 10 does not have a dryer 110 either. The dryer, asdiscussed above, helps drying the cartridge and does not help dissolvingthe soluble solids 12 a. Like the cartridge 10 of FIG. 5, thissimplified cartridge uses a supply of roasted ground coffee beans 12 bas the solubility promoter 80 to enable the water from the brew head ofa coffee machine to dissolve the soluble solids 12 a. It is well knownthat coffee grounds has a first part comprising components that can beextracted into water or hot water to form the beverage and a second partcomprising large molecules such as cellulose and other components thatare insoluble in water. Normally, the first or the soluble partcomprises less than 20% of the total mass and the second or theinsoluble part comprises more than 80% of the total mass that constitutethe backbones for the coffee grounds.

The cartridge 10 of FIG. 15 is an improved version of the cartridge 14.This improved cartridge has a movable filter 109 having numerousopenings or pores 87 a in communicating with the numerous openings orpores 87 between coffee grounds. As discussed at the end of thedescription for the cartridge 10 of FIG. 6, the filter 109 is separatefrom the top and bottoms filters 101 and 102, and is thus able to movedown to maintain close contact with the soluble solids 12 a as thesoluble solids is dissolved or carried away by the water from the brewhead of a pressure-brewing coffee machine. The pores 87 a in the filter109 are thus considered the extension of the openings or pores betweenthe roasted coffee grounds 12 b for distributing the water from the brewhead to the soluble solids 12 a.

Clearly, the modifications for the cartridge, its manufacturing processand the brew station can be combined into or removed from any of theexemplar embodiments of the invention. The scope of the invention isobviously not restricted to the embodiments described by way of examplesand depicted in the drawings, there being numerous changes,modifications, additions, and applications thereof imaginable within thepurview of the claims.

1. A cartridge for use in preparing a beverage with water under pressurefrom an apparatus comprising: a preparation chamber having a top end forallowing the flow of water under pressure into said chamber, a sidewall, and a bottom filter for allowing the flow of the resultingbeverage out of said preparation chamber; a predetermined supply of afirst flavor-containing material within said preparation chamber,substantially all or most of said first flavor-containing material beingcapable of being dissolved or carried out of said preparation by thewater from the apparatus; a predetermined supply of a secondflavor-containing material also within said preparation chamber, saidsecond flavor-containing materials comprising an extractable partcapable of being extracted out as flavor by the water from the apparatusto form a beverage and an insoluble part, said insoluble part beingsubstantially larger than said extractable part; and wherein saidpredetermined supply of said second flavor-containing material isadapted to facilitate the dissolution of said first flavor-containingmaterial, said supply of said second flavor-containing materialcomprising an upper surface adjacent to said top end of said preparationchamber for receiving the water under pressure from the apparatus, alower surface in contact with the upper surface of said supply of saidfirst flavor-containing material, and numerous small openings formedbetween the particles of said second flavor-containing materials andlocated between said upper and lower surfaces of said supply of saidsecond flavor-containing material for distributing water flow from saidtop end of said preparation chamber to said supply of said firstflavor-containing material and minimizing the gelling or aggregation ofsaid first flavor-containing material by water, thereby promoting thedissolution of said first flavor-containing material and forming astrong beverage that contains the extractable from said secondflavor-containing material and at least most of said supply of saidfirst flavor-containing material and issues out of said preparationchamber via said bottom filter.
 2. A cartridge as defined in claim 1wherein said lower surface of said supply of said secondflavor-containing material is sufficiently large to cover substantiallyall the upper surface of said supply of said first flavor-containingmaterial in said preparation chamber for facilitating the dissolution ofsaid first flavor-containing material.
 3. A cartridge as defined inclaim 2 wherein said lower surface of said supply of said secondflavor-containing material is dimensioned or shaped to move within saidpreparation chamber along with said upper surface of said supply of saidfirst flavor-containing material as the water dissolves said firstmaterial, thereby maintaining said contact to said firstflavor-containing material during the dissolution process.
 4. Acartridge as defined in claim 3 wherein said lower surface of saidsupply of said second flavor-containing material is in direct contactwith the upper surface of said supply of said first flavor-containingmaterial.
 5. A cartridge as defined in claim 2 wherein said supply ofsaid first flavor-containing material comprises at least one of thecreamer, fat, powdered milk, cocoa, sugar, protein, vitamin, and dairyproduct solids.
 6. A cartridge as defined in claim 5 wherein saidpreparation chamber is comprised of one substantially cylindricalchamber in which said supply of said second flavor-containing materialcan move substantially freely into the lower part of said substantiallycylindrical chamber originally occupied by said supply of said firstflavor-containing material as said first flavor-containing material isbeing dissolved.
 7. A cartridge as defined in claim 2 wherein saidsupply of said second flavor-containing material comprises roast coffeegrounds.
 8. A cartridge as defined in claim 7 wherein said roast coffeegrounds is sufficiently compressed and said preparation chamber is soconstructed that during the brewing of the beverage said supply of saidroast coffee grounds expands mostly only in height.
 9. A cartridge asdefined in claim 7 wherein said supply of said roast coffee grounds iscompressed sufficiently that it occupies substantially all saidpreparation chamber after the dissolution of said supply of said firstflavor-containing materials in said chamber, thereby rendering saidcartridge substantially drip-free for disposal after brewing.
 10. Acartridge as defined in claim 7 wherein said supply of said roast coffeegrounds is made sufficiently coarse to enable it to be sufficientlycompressed that after the dissolution of said first flavor-containingmaterial in said chamber said supply of said roast coffee grounds canoccupy substantially all said preparation chamber, thereby renderingsaid cartridge substantially drip-free after brewing for disposal.
 11. Acartridge as defined in claim 1 further comprising an elongated sectionon said bottom filter and a porous plate for covering or protecting saidelongated section, said elongated section being sufficiently small orclosed to prevent said first flavor-containing material from leaking outof said chamber before the pressurized water is introduced into saidpreparation chamber but becoming sufficiently expanded or open to allowsaid first flavor-containing material and the gels or even slumps formedof said first flavor-containing material to pass through after thepressurized water is introduced into said chamber, thereby preventingsaid bottom filter from being clogged and further improving thedissolution of said first flavor-containing material.
 12. A cartridge asdefined in claim II wherein said porous plate comprises filtrationopenings or pores approximately 0.1 to 1 mm in diameter or size to deterthe formation of gel or slump above said porous plate when water reachessaid first flavor-containing material.
 13. A cartridge as defined inclaim 1 wherein said supply of said second flavor-containing materialfurther comprises a porous plate at the lower end of said secondflavor-containing material, said porous plate being not attached to saidpreparation chamber and being capable of moving downward within saidpreparation chamber as said first flavor-containing material isdissolved by the water without causing substantially deformation of saidpreparation chamber.
 14. A cartridge as defined in claim 1 furthercomprising a supply of gas-generating material capable of producing gasupon contact with water in said preparation chamber.
 15. A cartridge asdefined in claim 14 wherein said gas-generating material comprises asupply of edible acidic material and a supply of salt comprising atleast one of a carbonate salt and bicarbonate salt.
 16. A cartridge asdefined in claim 14 wherein said gas-generating material comprises afirst and a second solid compounds, at least one of said compounds beingsoluble in water to enable a chemical reaction between said first andsecond compounds to produce a gas.
 17. A cartridge as defined in claim 1further comprising a cartridge inlet connected to said preparationchamber for connecting said cartridge to the apparatus and a cartridgeoutlet attached to said chamber for collecting the beverage from saidbottom filter and dispensing the beverage to a receptacle, wherein saidcartridge inlet, preparation chamber and cartridge outlet are made of asingle, integral piece without any seam in between, thereby reducing thechance of leaking when under pressure.
 18. A cartridge as defined inclaim 1 wherein said top end of said preparation chamber comprises a topfilter, said top filter being sealed to said bottom filter to form saidpreparation chamber for enclosing said supplies of said first and secondflavor-containing materials.
 19. A cartridge for use in preparing abeverage with water under pressure from an apparatus comprising: apreparation chamber having a top end for allowing the flow of waterunder pressure into said chamber, a side wall, and a bottom filter forallowing the flow of the resulting beverage out of said preparationchamber; a predetermined supply of a flavor-containing material withinsaid preparation chamber, substantially all or most of saidflavor-containing material being capable of being dissolved or carriedout of said preparation chamber by the pressurized water from theapparatus; a solubility promoter comprising an upper surface adjacent tosaid top end of said preparation chamber for receiving water and a lowersurface in close contact with the upper surface of said supply of saidflavor-containing material, said promoter being substantially porous andhaving numerous small openings or pores located between said upper andlower surfaces of said promoter for distributing the water flow fromsaid top end of said preparation chamber to the supply of saidflavor-containing material, thereby minimizing the gelling oraggregation of said flavor-containing material and promoting thedissolution of said flavor-containing material to form a sufficientlystrong beverage containing said flavor-containing material and issuingout of said preparation chamber via said bottom filter; and wherein saidlower surface of said solubility promoter is sufficiently large to coversubstantially all the upper surface of said supply of saidflavor-containing material to prevent any channeling of water flow andto cause substantially all the pressurized water from said apparatus tobe distributed to said flavor-containing material by said numerous smallopenings of said promoter.
 20. A cartridge as defined in claim 19wherein said flavor-containing material comprises at least one of thecreamer, fat, powdered milk, cocoa, proteins, and dairy product solids.21. A cartridge as defined in claim 19 further comprises an elongatedsection on said bottom filter and a porous plate for covering orprotecting said elongated section, said elongated section beingsufficiently small or closed before the pressurized water is introducedinto said chamber to prevent said flavor-containing material fromleaking out of said chamber but becoming sufficiently expanded or opento allow said flavor-containing material and the gel or even slumpformed of said flavor-containing material to pass through after thepressurized water is introduced to prevent said bottom filter from beingclogged, thereby further improving the dissolution of said firstflavor-containing material.
 22. A cartridge as defined in claim 21wherein said porous plate comprises filtration openings or poresapproximately 0.1 to 2 mm in diameter or size to deter the formation ofgel or slump above said porous plate when water reaches saidflavor-containing material.
 23. A cartridge as defined in claim 19wherein said promoter is substantially heavier than water forfacilitating the dissolution of said supply of said flavor-containingmaterial when water is introduced to said top end of said preparationchamber.